In an information system, a PLC (programmable logic controller) collects information on a production site and accumulates the collected data in a database via a database connection unit. The database connection unit has a function of rapidly accumulating the momently changing production data in the database through the PLC to visualize the production activity. For example, the production status and the equipment operation status are displayed on a display device on the basis of the accumulated data.
Constructing the information system requires drawing a screen, setting a database, and setting a database connection unit. The screen drawing is, for example, an equipment-screen drawing or a trend-graph screen drawing.
In techniques disclosed in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, operation data on various installed devices, generation data on a monitor screen, and control data to be monitored are periodically sampled and captured, and graphically displayed. Unfortunately, these techniques do not clarify what parameters should be used. It is thus difficult to provide screens and graphs for user's intended purposes in constructing an information system to improve productivity and equipment utilization rate on a production site.
In the technique disclosed in Patent Literature 2, control data to be monitored is periodically sampled and loaded to display the graph. However, this technique is dedicated to graphically displaying the result of tuning that finely adjusts parameters. Accordingly, a wide variety of screens such as an equipment screen and a search screen as well as a trend graph cannot be provided for the information system.
To construct the information system in a situation where there is an increased number of devices at a worksite, thus, much work is required because, in those conventional techniques, there is no mechanism for providing efficient work of designing and drawing a screen such as an equipment screen or a trend graph screen, setting a database, and setting a database connection unit.